


Ironic Invitations

by VashWritingPro



Series: Of Love, Passion, and Two Really Old Idiots [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Artist Steve Rogers, Awesome Natasha Romanov, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Bucky Barnes is Desperate, Bucky Barnes is an idiot, Bucky Isn’t Here For It, Cute, Fluff, Hurt Steve Rogers, Irondad, M/M, Mom Pepper Potts, Mutual Pining, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark Friendship, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Oblivious Steve Rogers, POV Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker is pure, Pining, Pining Bucky Barnes, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Steve Rogers Overworks Himself, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Teen Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-19
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-16 14:00:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18522997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VashWritingPro/pseuds/VashWritingPro
Summary: Bucky Barnes just wants to ask Steve Rogers out on a date. Why is that so hard?—x—x—Aka, Steve is on a week long break from work, and every time Bucky musters up the courage to ask him out, Steve beats him to it— proposing the same idea, with a much more platonic outlook.—x—x—Featuring!A desperate and touch-starved Bucky BarnesAn oblivious and too-cute-for-this-world Steve RogersMomma Nat‘Have my son home by 9:00’ StarkAnd a few very awkward but interesting dates-but-not-really-dates!





	1. The First Saturday

**Author's Note:**

> Okay get ready because I’m so excited for this and I think it’s going to be so cute.

** Saturday **

 

Steve was taking the next week off from work, and Bucky was ecstatic.

Steve had been working his ass off for months, and it had been forever since he’d gone even a day without something being called in. Sometimes Bucky wondered if the others got as many calls, or if it was just Steve. Nat always seemed to be around on weekends, and Tony never left Stark Tower, and those were the only other people Bucky actually spent enough time with to consider them friends.

Needless to say, Steve was exhausted, and anybody could see it. The circles under his eyes when he got up at four or five A.M. every morning spoke for themselves. The way he greeted Bucky faintly, took a few sips of whatever beverage was closest to the front of the fridge, then crashed on his bed immediately spoke numbers for his situation. So of course, Bucky was looking forward to this immensely.

He had already planned the entire week.

Or at least, he wanted to.

Nat was helping him, which made things easier, because Bucky wasn’t good at planning dates that he hadn’t even asked someone to go on yet. Nat thought it was ridiculous that he hadn’t— “ _You two are practically married, doesn’t a date or two come with the package?_ ”— but Bucky actually found it rather sensible. Steve had always been sort of a loner. He would hang back when they took girls out for a night on the town back in Brooklyn. He never danced, or smiled, or even spoke, really, unless it was to Bucky. Looking back, Bucky couldn’t believe what an idiot he had been. He could have been spending all of those sleepless nights with Steve— _just_ Steve. Instead, he’d brought dames along and probably ruined a lot of missed opportunities.

Well, no more. He vowed to change that on this upcoming week. Starting tomorrow, Sunday, he would make sure Steve had the most exciting, yet simultaneously relaxing week of his life— and next Saturday was going to be the best day of all.

“Have you asked him yet?” Were the first words that came out of Nat’s mouth when Bucky sat down in their normal spot for lunch. He rolled his eyes, cheeks slightly pink as he shook his head. She gave him The Look, eyebrows raised and lips pursed. Bucky scowled right back, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest.

“He’s busy,” the brunet insisted, taking a sip of the water provided before ordering. “He just got back from a mission early this mornin’ and hasn’t even gotten outta bed yet.”

“So did you leave a note?” She asked firmly, squinting at him, and for a moment he felt frozen by her icy glare, but he quickly shook it off.

“What the fuck, Nat, _no_! I’m not gonna ask Stevie out by leavin’ him a _note_. I’m gonna do right by him, Jesus, he deserves better’n that.” Bucky huffed, plastering a smile on his face when Agnes, the sweet old lady who took their order every Saturday waved and started to make her way over. “Behave,” he warned Nat with a look, and her expression remained neutral, giving no indication of whether or not she was going to take heed, or ignore him entirely.

“Hello, hello!” Agnes greeted cheerfully. “Welcome back, Ms. Tasha, Mr. Barnes!” Bucky chuckled, biting back the urge to tell her that it was just ‘Bucky’, but it had taken him weeks to get her to stop calling him Sergeant, so he took what he could get.

“Why, hello hello to you, Agnes!” He replied warmly. “How are you today?”

“Oh, I’m just peachy, thank you very much,” she replied warmly, and Bucky grinned at Nat, who was smiling stiffly. This was her least favorite part of every Saturday. “Can I get you two the usual?”

“You bet,” Bucky replied, nodding. She wrote something down in her little notepad, but before she could hustle away, Nat spoke up sharply.

“Bucky’s gonna ask Steve out on a date.”

“Oh!” Agnes clapped her hands together, and Bucky nearly flinched away, giving Nat a death stare through his hugely fake smile. “That’s _wonderful_ news! I’m telling you, Mr. Barnes, that man is a catch, but I’m just sorry that I can’t have you to myself. He’s a very lucky guy!” She continued talking the whole way back to the kitchen, seemingly unable to keep her excitement to herself, and Bucky leveled Nat with a cool stare before he burst out laughing, and she even chuckled a bit as well.

“She’s going to be all over you for the rest of the week,” Nat said, grinning, and Bucky just groaned.

“Oh, but I _love_ Aggie, this is _fine_.” He sighed heavily, leaning back in his seat. A moment passed, silent but for the soft chatter of the diner, and Bucky settled into a sort of calm worry. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do, Nat.”

“Stick to the plan,” she said simply. “Ask him when you get home. Let him relax tomorrow, make sure he keeps all the devices off. Play your old favorite movies and make dinner for him the way I showed you.”

Bucky groaned, running a hand down the side of his face. “But what if he says no?”

“Then you’re fucked and you’ve gotta get over him real fast,” she said simply, and Bucky froze, scowling at her from between his fingertips.

“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. Not, ‘ _He won’t, Bucky, don’t worry_ ’, or ‘ _Have you seen the way he looks at you_ ’, but ‘ _You’re fucked and you have to learn to live without the only person who makes you feel like you’re a real human being_ ’. Real nice, Nat.” The food was placed in front of them a few silent minutes later.

It had become apparent to Bucky over the years since he had fully recovered that Natasha was not a very comforting presence. In fact, she seemed to make people _un_ comfortable more than anything else. But Bucky liked spending time with her because he needed someone in his life who would sugarcoat things like Steve always tried to. He needed someone who would tell him the truth and set him straight, and she was perfect for that. She always said what he needed to hear.

“Get your shit together, eat your food, go home, and ask you boy toy if he wants to officially be your boy toy.”

Well, shit.

Bucky did as he was told, grumbling quietly to himself as he took a bite of his burger, taking his sweet-ass time with each individual bite. She finished quickly and watched him with growing amounts of skepticism until she had been done for ten minutes and he was barely halfway through.

“Aggie, put it on my tab and bring me a to-go box, please!” She called very suddenly. Bucky nearly choked on his food when a black box hit the table in front of him and Nat started shoveling his fries into it. He swallowed quickly and tried to take another bite of his burger but it was snatched out of his hands and placed into the box as well. Nat closed it so harshly that he was surprised it didn’t break before it was shoved into his hands and he was dragged out the door.

“Go home, soldier boy,” Nat said with a hint of a smile. “Go get ‘em.” Then she disappeared down the sidewalk and around a corner. Bucky threw his head back and resisted the urge to shout his displeasure at the sky.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to ask Steve out. In fact, he really wanted to ask Steve out, which he pondered on his slow walk home. It was that he couldn’t be sure of what Steve wanted.

“ _I want whatever you want, pal._ ” Steve’s voice bounced around in his head and Bucky kicked a loose stone as hard as he could with a soft grunt, watching it fly down the sidewalk. Steve was always putting him first and he was terrified that Steve would accept not because he wanted to— but because he thought that was what Bucky wanted him to do.

The walk up the stairs to his shared apartment with Steve was the slowest one yet. Bucky dragged his feet with every step until he was standing outside their door with his food in one hand and his key in the other. Slowly and begrudgingly with Nat’s voice in the back of his head and Steve’s voice in the front, he went inside.

Silence.

For a moment, Bucky dared to hope Steve wasn’t home.

Then the blonde peeked at him from around the corner, and God damnit, bedhead looked good on him. His eyes were bright and happy, and Bucky could melt right then and there when the man came around the corner with a small smile.

“Hey, Buck.”

_Holy mother of fuck._

“You comin’ in, or what?”

_Sweet baby Jesus._

Okay. Okay, Bucky thought, closing the door behind him. He felt like he was sweating bullets, but his mouth was so dry that he was afraid if he tried to talk, nothing would come out. He put his food on the counter, kicked his shoes off and hung his coat on their rack beside Steve’s, brushing the fabric slightly with his fingertips. Then he turned around with his brow furrowed to find Steve watching him intently.

“What’re you lookin’ at, punk?”

Shit. Fuck. That wasn’t what he was supposed to say. Holy hell. Nat didn’t tell him what to do if this happened. But a second later, Steve was laughing, and he looked more relaxed than Bucky had seen him in a long, long time.

“You, jerk,” Steve replied, leaning on the wall and gazing at Bucky with a soft smile.

_Your face is perfect._

“Oh,” he replied stupidly, mentally smacking himself afterwards for such an answer. “What are you up to tonight?” Steve’s expression only seemed to get brighter, and holy shit, Bucky was actually going to melt if this fucker got any cuter.

“Actually, I got off early. I was hoping maybe we could eat out, then come home and watch It’s a Wonderful Life..?” He looked down at his feet and bit his lip, cheeks flushed slightly pink with embarrassment before tilting his head back upwards with his eyebrows raised. “I— I know it’s not Christmas, but, I found it, and.. Well, I know it’s your favorite. So, I thought it would be nice.”

Bucky hated this man with every single ounce of his being. And yet, there was a fire burning so hot in the pit of his stomach, and it was rising towards his chest, and he knew that it was love. He was in fucking _love_. This god damn angel of a man was ruining his plans by proposing the very same ones— a day early.

Bucky couldn’t help it. He just laughed. He laughed until his stomach hurt and he had to lean against the wall, and he was squinting so hard that he could hardly see the confused innocence on his best friend’s face.

“What’s so funny?” Steve asked halfheartedly, but Bucky just shook his head, trying to calm down. He took a deep breath, letting it out slow, but he was unable to wipe away the seemingly permanent smile.

“Nothin’, pal. Just… How ‘bout you let me make dinner instead?” 


	2. Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TED Talks with Tony and Pepper turn into a meet and greet. 
> 
> —x—x—
> 
> Aka, Bucky seeks advice from everyone’s favorite billionaire and his fiancé, only to meet their apparent adopted child. 
> 
> —x—x—
> 
> Featuring! 
> 
> A h a p p y Tony Stark  
> A confuzzled Bucky Barnes  
> A beyond excited Pepper Potts  
> And, a very special guest star, nerd and fanboy Peter Parker!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is cute I’m proud

** Sunday **

 

 

“He asked you out?!” Tony demanded, pausing in his work to peer at Bucky over his goggles. “Like, out to dinner?”

“No!” Bucky replied, pinching his brow. “He asked me to grab dinner and watch a movie at home! As _friends_. It wasn’t supposed to be a date.”

“Uh, that sounds a lot like a date, Tin Can,” Tony disagreed, raising his eyebrows so high that they seemed to disappear into his hair. “But what do I know? Capsicle’s confusing in the girl type of way. Let’s give Pepper a call, ask her. Oh God, she’s gonna love this..” Tony pushed off from his workbench, letting his chair spin on the way to the table Bucky was sitting at that held his drink. “Fri, get Pep on the line.” Taking a sip of his drink, Tony waited patiently, eyeing the sky through the glass windows.

Bucky supposed he was in a good mood today, because a lot of the time, Tony had the windows so dark that they were practically black. He was also lacking his signature dark circles, and he even felt happier. His overall energy was through the roof. It was a nice look on him, happiness.

“What do you want, Tony?” Pepper’s frustrated tone leaked from the ceiling, and Tony’s face lit up with the brightest smile of the day.

“Hey, honey,” he said in a sing-song voice. “I was just telling this fossil here that his boyfriend asking him to get dinner out and watch their favorite old movie at home is 100% meant to be a date. Are we in agreement?”

“Oh my God, he asked you out?!” Pepper squealed, and Bucky flinched away from the sudden volume, glaring at Tony from across the table who just smirked.

“He did _not_ ,” Bucky insisted. “I got home from lunch with Nat, and before I could even ask him out, he was all, ‘ _Let’s go grab dinner, and when we come home, we can watch your favorite movie_ ’. Then he sat right next to me on the couch instead of in his favorite chair, which had a perfectly good view of the television, and he didn’t talk once through the whole movie.”

“Steve didn’t talk through an entire movie?” Tony asked suddenly, a disbelieving look crossing his eyes. “Are we talking about the same person? Steve Rogers, your supersoldier boyfriend? The one who always has something to say at the most important parts?” Bucky threw his hands up in the air.

“Thank you! It was so crazy, I’m tellin’ you. Not like him at all. Kinda scary, if I’m honest. And then when it’s over, he turns off the movie, tells me he’ had a great time’ and then goes to bed. Stupid punk wouldn’t let me make dinner first, insisted we went out to this pizza place I mentioned two _months_ ago, and then has the audacity to breathe down my fuckin’ neck the rest of the night as if there’s nothin’ wrong with it.”

“That was a date, Buck,” Pepper piped up, and she sounded amused. Bucky was dumbfounded.

“But he didn’t say, ‘ _Do you want to go on a date with me?_ ’. He just brought me to dinner and watched a movie with me. We’ve done it before, he’s just never sat with me or been all quiet like that.” Bucky sighed, looking down at his hands. This entire situation was so foreign to him. There was no way Steve had taken him on a date without him knowing.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” Tony said, rolling back over to his workbench and tinkering with one of his newly made gauntlets. “We’ll get you set with another plan to initiate tonight— a _real_ plan that you’re going to actually _follow through on_ — and you’ll go home and present it with the specific words that make it clear that this will, in fact, be a _date_. Got it? What do you think, Pep? You’re the boss here.”

Bucky listened for a reply, and when they didn’t get one, he directed his attention back to Tony, who shrugged with a half-hearted sigh.

“She’s always in meetings. It’s what I get for making her CEO. It’ll be fine, the kid is coming over in a little while—“

“Peter is standing outside the door waiting for you to unlock it, Mr. Stark.” Friday interrupted, and Bucky could have sworn there was a bit of a teasing tone in her voice, but that couldn’t be. Computers weren’t that advanced yet.

“Jesus, how long as he been here?! Open the door!” Tony stood up, wiping his hands on a nearby rag and throwing it aside as the doors slid opened and a scrawny brunet in a science-y t-shirt came walking in and tossing his backpack down just inside the door.

“Oh my God, Mr. Stark, you won’t _believe_ what Ned did today!” He was saying, hardly even sparing a glance in Bucky’s direction as he threw himself down into a desk chair in the far corner. “Flash was all in our faces, talking about like, money, or something, and how we’re losers because we can’t afford his style, and—“

“—and your friend Ted told him that your cool friend Tony Stark would buy you whatever clothes you wanted if they actually looked good?” Tony guessed, not looking up from his work once he had settled back down.

“No!” Peter replied, but his expression became slightly scrunched as if he was thinking about it. “That would have probably been a better comeback, though. And it’s Ned, not Ted.” Tony chuckled, shaking his head.

“Alright, kid. You’ve rambled enough to be embarrassed at this point. I’d like you to meet a friend of mine—“ He gestured vaguely behind himself, missing Bucky by a mile, but the brunet just shook his head, stifling a laugh. Peter’s huge brown eyes traveled slowly from the spot Tony pointed to over to the person he was actually supposed to be looking at and widened immediately as he fell silent, which Bucky guessed was a blissful moment in the life of Tony Stark.

“Hey, kiddo,” he said, scratching the back of his neck. “Please call me Buck—“

“You’re Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes, Captain America’s best friend!” Peter seemed to explode, practically vibrating with excitement as his eyes shone. “You’re, like, famous!” Bucky couldn’t help but laugh at that last part. It was still a weird word to associate with himself.

“Tony, who is he?” Bucky asked, unwilling to be rude, but still curious. Peter was too busy firing questions without giving time to answer to notice the side conversation. Tony glanced up at Peter, and Bucky didn’t miss the spark of warmth in the normally so reserved man’s eyes. It was almost a little bit magical.

“He’s— Well, he’s my _kid_ ,” Tony put it simply, looking at the kid like the world resided within him— and maybe it did, Bucky decided based off of the way he radiated positivity and the way his smile could melt anything in the room.

“It was nice to meet you,” Bucky cut the kid’s flood of questions off short, getting to his feet. “I should leave you two alone now.”

“O-Oh! Right!” Peter grinned, waving awkwardly, and Bucky waved back, a soft smile tugging at his lips. “Bye, Mr. Barnes! It was nice to meet you for real, this time!”

“Bye, kid.” Bucky said, confusion slowing his movements,  ut he shook it off. The kid had probably been in a crowd he walked through once, or something like that. He made his way over to the door, knocking twice so Friday would open it, which she did. After a moment’s hesitation, he leaned back. “Next time, you can call me Bucky.” The kid’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. Bucky’s heart thawed just a little bit— as if it wasn’t in a puddle already— and he waved to Stark before making his way out into the hall. He nearly ran right into Pepper, who seemed to be in a rush, although for once, she had hardly anything in her hands.

“Oh—! Sorry, Bucky,” she laughed breathlessly. “I was actually just coming down to maybe catch you before you left. I have a few minutes before my next meeting and I wanted to talk to you real quick before I.. Well, you know. Family gathering.” She glanced at the door, and Bucky had a feeling she knew Peter was there judging from the warmth in her expression. It couldn’t all be for Tony. At least, not that kind of warmth.

“What were you lookin’ to discuss?” He asked. He always felt as though he had to speak in a different mannerism around such a business-woman. She just smiled softly and pulled something out of her blazer pocket, pressing it into his metal hand.

“I want you to go ask Steve out for coffee.” She bit her lip, obviously excited as she pulled her hand back, revealing the little gift card to a small town coffee shop that just so happened to be the blonde’s favorite. He felt the beginnings of a smile lift his features, and before he could forget to thank her, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, and he was off, calling a quick goodbye over his shoulder.

“Have fun!” She shouted. He heard the slide of Tony’s door opening, and joyful greetings fading in the distance as he hurried towards the elevator, wasting no time in punching the lobby button and getting out of the building. Their apartment wasn’t far, courtesy of Tony and his thoughtfulness— Steve was always close enough to work. Sometimes Bucky hated it, but in times like this, it was extremely convenient.

The walk was short. He made his way up the stairs to the second floor and entered the apartment noisily, feeling the weight of the gift card in his pocket as if the tiny sheet of plastic weighed a ton. Suddenly, his throat ran dry, and the nerves kicked in.

 _Shit_.

Steve came around the corner smiling, just like the previous day, and Bucky froze all over again, melting at the same time. It was like he was the sun, and Bucky was a popsicle that someone had left on the street during the summertime.

“Hey, pal,” Steve greeted warmly, making his way over to the door and grabbing his coat before Bucky could even take his off. “Wanna take a walk with me? We can grab a cup of coffee at that café we like.”

And God damn it, in all of his stupidity, Bucky said yes. 

So there they were, walking along a shitty sidewalk in New York City of all places, coffees in hand. Steve was ecstatic— Bucky had revealed, albeit with slight embarrassment, the gift card right before his friend could pay. The blonde had been shocked, but he happily took it, freezing Bucky in time with his gracious smile. 

The brunet wouldn’t be surprised if people were going to start having to carry his melted remains around in a bucket or two. 

“So how was your day, Buck? You were out for a while.” Steve took a sip of his drink, free hand shoved in his pocket, eyes staring straight ahead. He was squinting against the sun, and Bucky was lost in the ‘golden hour’ effect— he had read about it on some social media sight. Steve’s skin was glowing. It was transfixing. 

“It was fine. I was hangin’ out at Tony’s. Met some kid— think his name was Peter.” He shrugged, finally tearing his gaze away and swirling the straw in his drink. He had gotten an iced coffee, despite the slight chill of the weather as New York fell into autumn, which was his favorite time of year. The trees in Central Park were beginning to turn color. It was gorgeous this time of year. 

“Oh, you met Peter,” Steve chuckled. “I think that if Tony could adopt him he would. You remember Soider-man, from the airport fight? Stole my shield, so I dropped a boarding gate on him.” Bucky racked his memory, frowning deeply and sipping on his drink. 

“Huh. The little one in red spandex who chased Sam and I into the airport?” He asked, chuckling a little at the memory. The kid had just grabbed his fist out of the air like it was nothing. Now that Bucky thought about it, that Peter kid’s voice sounded familiar— 

“That’s the one. Peter Parker himself. Such a weird little kid, but then again, I probably have him beat when it comes to bein’ a weird kid, whoudn’t ya say, Buck?” Steve was grinning down at him with that look in his eyes that brought Bucky all the way back to Brooklyn, and it was times like this that he felt the most homesick. Frowning slightly, he bumped Steve’s shoulder with his own and slowed his pace, looking up at the sky and just thinking for a minute. 

“Yeah, Stevie. I’d say you got him there, and I’d even say you got him everywhere else, too.” 


End file.
